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Indoor Dog and Flooring

Wife and I have looked into getting an indoor dog, but have some reservations with the possible damage they could do to our floors. We have carpet and wood laminate in our house. Will they scratch the wood laminate flooring? Any breeds that are worse than others for this? Any other tips/suggestions?

We would really like to get an indoor dog, but we ( me more than my wife) hate the idea of causing our floors to wear out faster/get damaged just for a dog.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

We had a somewhat large indoor dog and also have wood laminate floor in our kitchen. She had fairly long claws but never scratched the floor. She did, however, dig a hole in the carpet when she was a pup.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

Originally Posted by farminclone

Wife and I have looked into getting an indoor dog, but have some reservations with the possible damage they could do to our floors. We have carpet and wood laminate in our house. Will they scratch the wood laminate flooring? Any breeds that are worse than others for this? Any other tips/suggestions?

We would really like to get an indoor dog, but we ( me more than my wife) hate the idea of causing our floors to wear out faster/get damaged just for a dog.

Thanks.

Yup they will.... Unless you have a tile flooring, they'll add wear and tear to it. We had a pergo flooring in our last house and a dog and he added to the scratches on it. As well, the carpet seemed to wear down faster with him. Same with the wood flooring and carpet in our house now.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

Our realtor has a couple dogs, so she has pointed this out in nearly every house we've looked at (since we've mentioned maybe having a dog in the future). Laminate floors are very resistant to getting scratched up. But whatever you do, do NOT get maple floors. Those floors looked TERRIBLE when there was a dog in the house.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

Originally Posted by theantiAIRBHG

Doesn't sound like you'd even enjoy the dog if you got one. So, what's the point?

This. "Just for a dog" is the wrong attitude. Dogs are a responsibility. That thing is going to shed, ****, puke and crap on your wonderful flooring (at least occasionally). If you're already worried about it ... you should get a cat or aquarium fish.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

Doesn't sound like you'd even enjoy the dog if you got one. So, what's the point?

Me wanting to keep the floor I just paid for and installed in good shape = not enjoying the dog? Got it.

Originally Posted by LutherBlue

This. "Just for a dog" is the wrong attitude. Dogs are a responsibility. That thing is going to shed, ****, puke and crap on your wonderful flooring (at least occasionally). If you're already worried about it ... you should get a cat or aquarium fish.

I understand it will come with responsibilities, I grew up with livestock. "Just for a dog" is the right attitude in my mind. Like I mentioned above, I just put these floors in and would feel sick to my stomach if the dog ruined them in a few months.

Thanks to the other posters, it sounds like it won't be much of an issue, I appreciate the input!

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

We have two bigs dogs and have the dark wood laminate. Doesn't scratch at all and looks really nice. Can't even tell it's not wood. Definitely will continue to get the same laminate in other rooms as well.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

We have a golden that is still young and can be rambunctious. No issues on our floors although we currently have no wood.

I understand your concern. My aunt and uncle have three goldens and have put coverings on their stairs going from the back door to the room they are allowed in. When you start doing stuff like that it is pointless to have a dog.

Re: Indoor Dog and Flooring

In general, I think a smaller dog tends to minimize any additional wear to flooring. I have hardwood flooring and smaller dogs, and I haven't really noticed any issues with it.

See, I might be on the other side with this. We have a small terrier (think Toto) and he runs all over chasing toys and puts his front claws up on the window casings to see outside a lot. A larger dog with eye level above those window sills probably wouldn't do as much damage.
We have lighter stained red oak hardwood and can see scratches when the sun hits it right or you are looking at it from a low angle.
All in all, I'm OK with all of it. It's part of having an indoor dog.

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